Kael stepped out of the ruin, the cool rain of liquid mana sizzling against his bare chest. He was shirtless, his skin pale and perfect, the scars of the previous battles already faded into memory.
He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the charged air. The energy from the dual cultivation session with Morgan was coiled tightly in his core, a reservoir of vitality waiting to be unleashed.
"System," Kael thought. "Status."
HOST: KAEL HAYES
LEVEL: 80 (B-RANK THRESHOLD)
MANA: 12,000/12,000 (OVERCHARGED)
PHYSIQUE: OPTIMAL.
TRIBULATION STATUS: PAUSED (3/9 STRIKES).
"Resume," Kael commanded mentally. "I'm ready."
ACKNOWLEDGED.
Resuming Heavenly Tribulation.
Warning: Strikes 4 through 9 will escalate in intensity.
As if responding to his arrogance, the sky screamed. The swirling purple clouds contracted, forming a tight, spinning vortex directly above Kael's head.
"Come on!" Kael roared, spreading his arms. "Show me what you have!"
Strike Four.
A jagged lance of white lightning, thicker than the previous ones, shot down. It wasn't just fast; it was instant.
Kael didn't dodge. He didn't block.
He caught it.
[VOID PHASE]
His body flickered, turning intangible for a microsecond as the bolt hit his palm, then solidified instantly, trapping the electricity in his grip.
"Grabbed you," he snarled.
[STORM AUTHORITY]
He forced his will over the chaotic energy. The lightning, meant to erase him, was subjugated. It crackled up his arm, turning his veins into rivers of light, but instead of burning him, it fed his core.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Lightning Absorbed.
Mana Capacity Expanded.
"Is that it?!" Kael shouted at the sky. "I've had massages rougher than that!"
The heavens seemed to take offense.
Strike Five.
This time, the sky didn't send a single bolt. It sent a wave. A sheet of white plasma descended, covering the entire clearing.
"Area of effect," Kael muttered. "Clever."
He slammed his foot into the ground.
[SINGULARITY DOMAIN]
The air around him warped. A sphere of distorted gravity expanded outward. The sheet of lightning hit the sphere and bent, sliding around the curve of space-time, unable to touch the center where Kael stood.
The ground outside the sphere was vaporized. The rock turned to glass. But inside, Kael didn't even feel a breeze.
Strike Six.
The pause was shorter this time. The clouds turned black. A low hum filled the air, vibrating the teeth of everyone in the vicinity.
A singular, perfectly straight beam of white light descended. It made no sound. It moved with the inevitability of death.
Kael drew the [Void Shard]. The black blade screamed as it extended.
[EVENT HORIZON]
He slashed upward.
The blade met the beam. The collision was silent, but the shockwave flattened the trees for a mile around. The Void Shard ate the light, devouring the destructive energy.
Kael skidded back ten feet, his boots carving trenches in the glass. His arm trembled. The force was immense.
"Not bad," he gritted out. "But not enough."
Strike Seven, Eight, Nine.
The sky seemed to collapse. The clouds tore open, revealing a sea of chaotic energy beyond.
Three bolts fell simultaneously. A trident of divine judgement.
They aimed for his head, his heart, and his core.
"ALRIGHT THEN!" Kael screamed. "LET'S EAT!"
He released all the stored energy from the dual cultivation. The vitality of an A-Rank heiress flooded his channels.
[DEVOUR: AURA]
Kael opened his mouth. A vortex of darkness exploded from his body.
He didn't just tank the hits. He consumed them.
The first bolt hit his chest and vanished into the vortex. The second hit his outstretched hand and was sucked into his core. The third, aiming for his head, was caught by the [Void Shard] and channeled directly into the blade.
The pain was excruciating. It felt like his soul was being stretched and stuffed with fire. But the [White] talent kicked in, stabilizing his existence.
Adapt.
Absorb.
Evolve.
SYSTEM CRITICAL NOTIFICATION
Host has survived the Heavenly Tribulation.
Energy Saturation: 400%.
Initiating Forced Level Ascension.
The lightning stopped. The clouds broke, shredding apart as if a giant hand had ripped them open. Sunlight poured down onto the ruined clearing.
Kael stood in the center of a crater of molten glass and blackened stone. He was smoking, his body glowing from the inside out.
And then, the rush hit.
It wasn't a trickle of XP. It was a tsunami.
LEVEL UP!
Level 80 → Level 85...
Level 85 → Level 90...
Level 90 → Level 95...
Level 95 → Level 100...
Kael fell to his knees, gasping as his body underwent a second transformation. His mana core, previously a small black hole, expanded, turning into a swirling galaxy of silver and gold. His bones whitened, becoming denser than steel. His blood turned a shade darker, richer.
LEVEL UP!
Level 100 → Level 105!
CURRENT LEVEL: 105 (B-RANK MID-STAGE)
Reward for Surviving Divine Retribution:
1. Stat Multiplier x5.
2. Skill: [Heaven's Step] (Movement Skill - Allows temporary flight using atmospheric mana).
3. Title: [Thunder God's Bane] - Immunity to Lightning below S-Rank.
Kael stood up. He felt heavy, but it was a good heavy. The weight of power.
He looked at his hands. He flexed his fingers, and sparks of white electricity danced across his knuckles.
"Finished," he said.
Alaric ran out from behind a boulder, his hair standing straight up from the static. He looked at the devastation, the molten earth, and then at Kael, who stood amidst the ruin like a conquering deity.
"You... you actually did it," Alaric stammered. "I didn't expect you to survive. I mean I wanted you to survive but that's a 9 star tribulation, men. But you survived."
"__"
Morgan stumbled out of the ruin, wrapped in a tattered blanket. She looked at Kael, her eyes wide. She could feel the change in their bond. The link had deepened. If he was a monster before, he was a god now.
"Master," she whispered.
Kael turned to them. A slow, satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Let's go get that bastard", He looked toward the horizon, toward the deeper parts of the Frontier.
"Michael is out there. And thanks to the Heavens, I now have the power to drag him back."
He cracked his neck.
"Let's move. We have a family reunion to plan."
SYSTEM STATUS UPDATED
HOST: KAEL HAYES
RANK: B-RANK (MID-STAGE)
LEVEL: 105
TITLES: Dragon Slayer, Titan Slayer, Thunder God's Bane.